IPOH — Malaysia made a comeback despite a nervous start to defeat Canada 6-2 in their second Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match at the Azlan Shah stadium last night.
However, national head coach Sarjit Singh was not entirely impressed with his side’s performance against the world number 19 Canadians, citing that his charges’ gameplay declined after taking the lead in the second quarter of the match.
The 61-year-old coach further urged his charges to improve on their penalty corner claims and executions in the remaining matches of the invitations tournament.
“We played well, but it was a nervous start for us. We made a comeback after going down, but I was not entirely impressed as we could have done a lot better in this game.
“Our penalty corner executions were not impressive, and we need to train more on that aspect of the game if we aim to improve in the years to come.
“But players like Fitri Saari and Faizal Saari showed up in today’s game, and it was clearly evident what they can contribute to the team with their experience.
“Overall, the performance and commitment of all players are important. That is all that I’m looking for,” said Sarjit during a post-match conference.
At the same time, Canada’s head coach, Patrick Tshutshani, acknowledges that his team has been conceding too many goals, but was happy with the number of minutes his young players are getting in the tournament.
“Yes, we gave away many goals in two matches (13 goals). We came into the tournament to win some matches and gain experience. It is not about the scores or results. We are a new team, and experience is important.
“If you look at the age, there are six new boys with no caps. We are building this team and we have to be realistic as well.
“Today’s match against Malaysia was good. I think we started off well to get an early goal and then slowed down,” said Tshutshani.
Devohn Noronha-Teixeira, aged 35, who made his 125th appearance for Canada, gave his side a surprising lead in the 12th minute through a field goal.
Fitri Saari used his years of experience in the midfield to level the score for Malaysia with a fierce shot, beating goalkeeper Zachary Coombs in the 13th minute.
Azrai Abu Kamal, who scored a hat-trick on Saturday’s opener against Pakistan, scored his fourth goal of the tournament to give Malaysia a 2-1 lead in the 14th minute.
The Speedy Tigers’ dominance continued in the second and third quarters of the match as Azimuddin Kamaruddin and Nik Muhammad Aiman Nik Rozemi netted goals in the 19th and 31st minutes of the match.
The fourth quarter of the match saw Teixeira getting a second goal for Canada in the 42nd minute, while Syed Mohamed Syafiq Syed Cholan got the fifth goal for Malaysia.
Faizal Saari then sealed the deal for Malaysia with his wonder goal in the 49th minute of the match, where he scored a solo goal with a left flick after going past a total of six Canadian players.
Today’s goal marked his 141st goal for Malaysia in 287 appearances for the Speedy Tigers.
Defending champions Malaysia will take on New Zealand in their third match on May 7, while Canada will face defending champions South Korea on the same day. — May 6, 2024